rule number one EVERYTHING ON HOOKS.
Kidding, kind of.
We had these four storage lockers in the house when we moved in but as a six family household, this just wasn’t working for us. These lockers were also a weird height, too short to hang long coats and not enough shoe storage. It was also causing the top to become a catch all space.
As with a most of our main floor living space, we have a lot of big future/long term plans but need to make some immediate changes to improve the functionality now. For is this means working within the existing floor space (and flooring) and keeping a reasonable budget.
We decided to maximize the wall space for storage and out came the lockers!
It already felt so much bigger taking those out. We were able to sell them same day on FBMP.
I knew I wanted to utilize wall storage for hooks and a shoe rack so decided to panel the walls. This, in my opinion, adds some interest to the room but more importantly here, gives more durability. The walls are going to be repeatedly banged by bags and shoes. Drywall dents easily and the panels are a bit more durable.
I used these 4ft x 8ft panels but should have stuck with my favorite shiplap panels or beadboard. These were a bit harder to paint and the edges didn’t seem to quite meet up as nice the shiplap.
Use 2 coats of primer. I used this primer and had it tinted to my color. Then I used Sherwin Williams Emerald enamel trim and cabinet paint in satin. I applied with the sprayer. This paint will be extremely durable and scrubbable, just like cabinets would be!
I customized a ton of hook storage around the room and put everything right on top of the panels.
To make the shelf:
Supplies I used:
-1x12 board cut size (depending on how much you’re planning to hold in the shelf you could use anything from MDF, pine, oak)
-wood glue
-2 inch screws (for mounting corbels to studs)
-Brad nailer & 1 1/2 inch nails
I attached the corbels to the studs with the screws and then from the top of the shelf put nails into the shelf to attach to the corbel. The shelf itself was pretty snug so the nails may not have been needed but it’s definitely not going anywhere now.
To make the peg coat hooks:
Supplies I use:
-1x6 boards
-wood glue
I attached the boards to the wall with nails first and then screws into the studs. You can cover the screw holes with wood filler and paint over or use a screw cap cover like these for some added detail.
Find the middle of the board, mark the distance and drill holes. Then add wood glue and mallet the pegs in place.
To make the shoe racks:
Supplies I used:
(boots)
-1x6 boards
-1 inch dowels (cut to 7 inches)
-1 inch drill bit
-wood glue
These boot racks are made the exact same way as the pegs. Mark the center of the board, determine spacing and drill a hole. Use wood glue and mallet the dowel in place.
The dowels here are cut to 7 inches length and spaced 4 inches apart. You can customize this depending on your space and size of shoes.
Again, make sure the 1x6 back board is attached to the studs.
(shoes)
-1x6 inch boards
The shoe storage might be my favorite! This fits a wide variety of shoe sizes and how many shoes fit here depends on the shoe sizes. This was so easy and inexpensive to make! It’s just a closet dowel along the wall.
The dowel is about 3.5 inches off the wall and I just held up a few pairs of shoes to make sure that spacing worked.
I fully anticipate the wall getting dirty but that’s why I used the cabinet paint, so a quick wipe should do the trick when needed.
I used this brass rail for more adjustable hooks and by keeping it on the 1x6 board I didn’t worry about lining this up with studs (since the board is anchored to the studs).
I love that the hooks on the rail slide but don’t come off.
Brass rail linked here : https://amzlink.to/az0nusY1WS0GA
This boot tray also comes with a top lining so the water separates. Very needed for Michigan winters!
Boot tray : https://amzlink.to/az09ZOT9fcJIy
Across the room I added more hooks and attached all of these with drywall anchors.
I added a new light with a ceiling medallion and used the one roll of left over wallpaper I had to wallpaper the ceiling.
linked here : light + medallion + wallpaper
Overall this space is now so much more functional for us and we were able to complete this whole room for a few hundred dollars and in under a week!
Hope you left here feeling inspired to try something in your own space.
Thanks for reading,
Tara
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